1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers for storing and/or transporting materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to semi-rigid collapsible containers that may be employed to transport bulk materials including, but not limited to, hazardous materials.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Metal containers are generally used to store and transport bulk materials, particularly hazardous materials. These metal containers are expensive to purchase, rent and store. They are fairly large and therefore require a considerable amount of space to maintain on site. That required space could be considerable, dependent upon the amount of material that must be stored and/or transported. While the storage volume of metal containers is considerable, the volume of material that is storable within multiple containers is diminished by the fact that the metal containers are generally cylindrical in nature. Cylinders generally cannot be oriented in a space-efficient manner. As such, there is a need in the art for containers that will contain a high volume of material and be storable in a low volume storage facility.
To meet this need, bag containers have been employed. Such bags take up much less space when not in use. However, such bags are of insufficient physical characteristics for transport purposes. That is, they are generally not tough enough to stand up to the rigors of movement by mechanical devices such as forklifts, accidental drops into cargo holds, stacking, and the like. Moreover, bag containers are easily deformed by the materials that they contain. As such, bag containers are not reliably stackable, and hence bag containers do not provide for efficient transport or storing of voluminous materials.
In order to overcome the limitations associated with flexible bags and rigid metal boxes, a series of semi-rigid containers have been developed. While these containers provide storage and transport benefits, they lack the rigidity and impermeability to contain a wide range of materials, such as hazardous materials. Therefore, what is needed is a rigid container for the storage and transport of bulk materials suitable for retaining a range of materials. What is also needed is a collapsible container that minimizes the exposure of the materials to the surrounding environment. Lastly, there is a need in the art for a collapsible container that can reliably hold its shape while stacked during storage and transport.